NEW BEDFORD — A 21-year-old city man charged with brutally beating his girlfriend's baby was ordered held without bail today after pleading not guilty in the 9-month-old girl's death.

According to court documents, Ethen Harrison — who is not the child's father but lives in the same apartment as the baby's mother — admitted to police that he got angry Thursday when the child became “fussy” and dropped the baby to the floor, causing her to hit her head.

Harrison admitted “forcefully picking the baby up” off the floor, causing her head to snap forward, court documents said. He allegedly threw the baby on the bed so hard she bounced off, falling 4 feet to the floor, hitting her head again. Harrison then shook the baby and slapped her three times around the mouth and two times on the side of the face, court documents said.

The baby suffered retinal hemorrhaging behind both eyes, a large blood clot on the right side of the brain and several bruises, according to court documents.

The baby, identified as Ariel Eluziario, was brought by private car to St. Luke's Hospital at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday and flown to Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, where she was pronounced dead after surgery.

Harrison was arraigned today in New Bedford District Court on the following charges: reckless endangerment of a child; assault and battery on a child resulting in serious bodily injury; and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Charges against Harrison may be upgraded to include murder pending an autopsy scheduled for today, prosecutor Stephen Nadeau said.

According to Nadeau, Harrison was alone with the child at the time of the incident. The alleged assault took place in an Adams Street apartment.

Nadeau declined to say who drove the child to the hospital or discuss the whereabouts of the child's parents.

The violation of a restraining order was against Harrison's father, according to court documents.

The Boston Herald was reporting that Harrison's father, Francis Harrison, took out a restraining order against his son in June.

“He is out of control,” he wrote according to court documents. “He is threatening me to beat me up... When he mad he breaks things (sic) windows doors. Whatever he gets his hands on. He hurts himself. He carries knives.”